Scorpions Drummer Sentenced to One Month in Jail For Dubai Airport Incident

Scorpions drummer James Kottak has found himself in lots of trouble after an incident following a Gulf Air flight from Moscow to Dubai. According to sources, Kottak was arrested earlier this month for being drunk shortly after landing in Dubai. Kottak also reportedly shouted derogatory remarks at passengers and pulling his pants down to "moon" others at the airport. As a result, Kottak has been sentenced to one month in jail.

James Kottak was scheduled to perform at the 2014 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, but he missed the show for undisclosed reasons. We now know that Kottak was in jail as a result of this airport mishap.

According to The National, Kottack was convicted of insulting Islam, flashing his middle finger at Muslim passengers the airport and consuming alcohol, which is illegal in Dubai. The drinking charge has been seen as controversial, since Kottack consumed the wine over international airspace instead of in Dubai. Kottack, who consumed five glasses of wine during his flight, claims to have taken a wrong turn down a transit hall. “We wanted to wait for the rest of our friends but, mistakenly, ended up at the transit hall,” Kottak told police. However, the drummer was arrested for being drunk after Kottak became angry and started swearing.

He was also quoted to have said some controversial comments, calling Pakistani and Muslim passengers "non-educated Muslims" and asking "what is this disgusting smell?" before flipping off and mooning the passengers.

A 27-year-old client service employee described the scene. “When [Kottak] saw the Pakistani and Afghani passengers, he covered his nose and said that there was no way he will travel with them.”

“I don’t remember saying these words and I did not flash my middle finger,” Kottak said to prosecutors. "When asked about mooning passengers, Kottack said “this is not true — I just lifted my shirt up to show the tattoo on my back as a spontaneous act.

"There is no way that I would say such a phrase about Muslims, whether I was drunk or not,” Kottak told police. "I confess to drinking alcohol but I refuse the other two charges, I did not do them.”

The Scorpions drummer was given one month in prison along with a fine of Dh2,000 (approx. $544). Since Kottack has remained in custody since April 3, time spent is expected to be deducted from his jail sentence.